Private Project

The Mirror

The story is actually about a mirror.
The mirror is old, its paint peeled off, broken at one corner. Yet the mirror hangs on an old wall. The wall, like the mirror, is abandoned. Those who once carefully hung the mirror there also built their life beside that wall. There are four members in this family. Among them, the most significant is Tuktuki.
Tuktuki, a young girl, lives with her parents and brother in a temporary shack built against the wall. Every day, her alcoholic father returns home to violence. The mirror, like Tuktuki, witnesses everything. To survive, Tuktuki, her mother, and her brother perform street dances. Each day begins in front of the mirror—preparing themselves before stepping into the world. On the opposite wall lives a homeless man with mental illness, surviving on the food Tuktuki’s family leaves for him, drifting through his own strange joy. Nearby, a tea stall transforms at night into a hub of addiction, drawing in a stream of strangers.
The mirror also watches a young woman who regularly stands before it, carefully getting ready to meet her lover. He arrives on a motorcycle; their intimacy unfolds under the mirror’s gaze.
One night, violence erupts in both lives. Tuktuki attacks her father while trying to protect her mother. The madman dances, beating his plate in celebration. At the same time, the young woman is brutally beaten by her lover, left bloodied.
Through the mirror’s unblinking eye, two parallel stories of love, survival, and violence unfold—eventually converging into a single reflection of a world where brokenness watches brokenness.

  • Shrabasti Das
    Director
  • Shrabasti Das
    Writer
  • Shrabasti Das
    Producer
  • Amit Saha
    Key Cast
    "Tuktuki's Father"
  • Mouma Naskar
    Key Cast
    "Tuktuki's Mother"
  • Tanushka Lahiri
    Key Cast
    "Tuktuki"
  • Rajarshi Podder
    Key Cast
    "Tuktuki's Brother"
  • Satrabit Paul
    Key Cast
    "homeless man with mental illness"
  • Chaitali Halder
    Key Cast
    "Girlfriend"
  • Arijit Chakraborty
    Key Cast
    "Boyfriend"
  • Joydeep Dey
    Cinematography
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    আয়না
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    26 minutes 57 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    400,000 INR
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Full Frame, 6K. Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Shrabasti Das

Summary: Shrabasti Das is an Indian filmmaker with a deep commitment to visual storytelling. She did a Film Making course and a Film Editing Workshop under the mentorship of Pradipta Bhattacharya, National Award Winning Filmmaker.
She participated in Screenwriting Workshop which was mentored by Soumendu Bhattacharya, H.O.D of Direction Department of Roopkala Kendra. She also participated a course - ‘Introduction to Documentary Films’ of FTII.
She worked as a Trainee Assistant Director for the feature film “Nadhorer Bhela (The slow man and his raft)” (2025) directed by Pradipta Bhattacharya. This film was an official selection at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and was the sole Indian entry in the Innovation in Moving Images category at the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
She collaborated with Filmmaker Subhajit Chanda and made a documentary film “Pegasus” (2022) on horse cart of Kolkata, which won the best film in Kolkata open air film festival.
She worked as an Assistant director and Art director in the short film “Mastul”(2024) directed by Subhajit Chanda and Samprita Das Roy. She worked as an Associate Director on the upcoming feature film “To sing like a Caged Bird” directed by Samprita Das Roy and Subhajit Chanda.
She directed the short film “Ayna (The Mirror)”(2026), currently submitted to multiple film festivals.
Shrabasti Das completed her Bachelor's degree in Botany at Presidency College, affiliated with the University of Calcutta and completed her Master's degree in Botany from Presidency University. She works as a Senior Preservation Assistant in Botanical Survey of India.

Skills: Film editing (In Premiere pro and davinchi resolve);
Script writing ; Short film making ; Documentary film making.

Experience: 1) Directed a documentary film “Pegasus” (2022) with Subhajit Chanda .
2) Assistant director and art director in the short film “Mastul”(2024) directed by Subhajit Chanda and Samprita Das Roy.
3) Trainee Assistant Director for the feature film “ Nadhorer Bhela (The slow man and his raft)” (2025) directed by Pradipta Bhattacharya.
4) Directed the short film “Ayna (The Mirror)”(2026).
5) Associate Director on the upcoming feature film
“To sing like a Caged Bird” directed by Samprita Das Roy and Subhajit Chanda.

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Director Statement

Although this story is not drawn directly from my personal life, it is shaped by experiences I have closely observed. Even today, male dominance over women continues to exist in society, expressing itself in different ways across social and economic structures—sometimes openly, sometimes invisibly. Despite increased independence, many women remain constrained by patriarchal authority. Through this film, I wanted to reflect this social reality. This is a feminist story.